1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of electrical connectors. In particular, the present invention relates to a mechanism for providing a visual indication of the engagement position of a mating connector pair having a bayonet mechanism.
2. Related Art
Electrical connectors, particularly RF (radio frequency) connectors, provide couplings between electronic elements and/or devices. Many different types of electrical connectors exist and have been used to provide removable electrical connections between electronic elements and devices.
Bayonet mechanisms are one way of securing such removable electrical connectors. One type of removable or separable electrical connector having a bayonet mechanism is known as a BNC or Bayonet Neil-Concelman mating connector pair. BNC mating connector pairs facilitate attachment of coaxial electrical cables to electronic elements or devices. Typical BNC mating connector pairs include a jack-side connector mounted to an electronic device or element and a plug-side connector connected to a cable. The jack-side connector typically includes a tubular cylindrical housing and a socket formed in a central location of the housing. The plug-side connector typically includes a tubular cylindrical connector body having a central contact formed in a central location of the connector body. The central contact of the plug-side connector is inserted into the socket of the jack-side connector and the connector body of the plug-side connector is inserted into the housing of the jack-side connector.
The jack-side connector also includes outwardly extending lugs formed on the outer surface of the housing. The plug-side connector includes a bayonet sleeve rotatably mounted on the outer surface of the connector body. The bayonet sleeve includes slots, which are typically J-shaped (J-slots), to mate with the lugs on the jack-side connector. The J-slots include an initial portion and a terminal portion. To connect the BNC mating connector pair, the slots in the bayonet sleeve first receive the lugs the initial portion of the J-shaped slots, such that the mating connector pair is in a position of partial engagement. The bayonet sleeve is then rotated relative to the jack-side connector until the lugs slide into the terminal portion of the J-shaped slots. The mating connector pair is now in a fully engaged position, where the lugs are held and locked into the terminal portion of the J-shaped slots.
U.S. Pat. No.4,037,909 to Trompeter et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 3,708,781 to Trompeter, which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety, each disclose known BNC mating connector pairs. Further, BNC mating connector pairs are commercially available from Trompeter Electronics, Inc., Westlake Village, Calif. A common use of the Trompeter 75 Ohm BNC mating connector pair is for telephone company central office DS3 applications. BNC mating connector pairs also see high volume use in the broadcast industry for providing high bandwidth connections between television broadcast equipment.
This twist-lock connection of the bayonet mechanism is a central feature of BNC connector pairs, and provides a convenient and reliable means for electrically connecting various electronic elements and devices. BNC and connector pairs allow a reliable electrical connection to be made without the danger of the jack-side and plug-side connectors gradually working loose or becoming inadvertently unplugged.
The bayonet mechanism of BNC mating connector pairs provides a positive engagement between jack-side connectors and plug-side connectors. This positive engagement allows a user to determine whether a jack-side connector is fully engaged with a plug-side connector by attempting to manually rotate the bayonet sleeve (e.g., using his or her fingers). If substantial resistance is encountered, then the mating connector pair is fully engaged.
However, multiple mating connector pairs are often positioned in close proximity to each other on electronic elements or devices, both horizontally and vertically, such that there is not sufficient space for a user to easily grasp the bayonet sleeve using his or her fingers. Further, it is often not possible for a user to look at the mating connector pairs from a viewpoint that allows visual inspection of the relative positioning between the lug and the J-shaped slot. Consequently, it is often difficult to manually determine whether a jack-side connector is fully engaged with a corresponding plug-side connector. Thus, a need exists for an improved mating connector pair that provides visual indication of the engagement position of the plug-side connector relative to the jack-side connector when the plug-side connector is fully engaged with the jack-side connector.
The present invention is drawn to a plug-side connector in a mating connector pair, where the plug-side connector is configured for engagement with a jack-side connector to for m an electrical connection. The plug-side connector includes a connector body and a bayonet sleeve rotatably connected to the connector body. The sleeve includes two slots which are configured for engagement with corresponding lugs on the jack-side connector. The sleeve further includes an indicator on the sleeve that aligns with a reference point when the slots in the sleeve are fully engaged with the lugs o f the jack-side connector. The indicator provides a visual indication that the plug-side connector is fully engaged with the jack-side connector. Preferred embodiments of the indicator of the invention include a V-shaped notch, a dimple, a raised ridge and a lug.
Indicators of the present invention allow a user to easily determine by visual inspection whether a jack-side connector is fully engaged with a plug-side connector even when the mating connector pair is located in a crowded area. Further, the indicators, of the present invention allow a user to quickly check the engagement positions of multiple mating connector pairs. Moreover, the indicators of the present invention are straightforward and inexpensive to produce.